The subject matter herein relates generally to electrical connector systems, and more specifically to electrical connectors that have machine-readable graphic identifiers for tracking and recording purposes.
Some electrical connectors include machine-readable graphic identifiers that are used to record and log a presence, position, characteristic, or the like of the electrical connectors during a manufacturing process or an assembly process. For example, in the assembly of an automobile, an operator may be tasked with using a reader device, such as a scanner or an imager, to “read” graphic identifiers on various electrical connectors that are installed into the automobile. A positive read on a specific electrical connector may provide certain information that is recorded and logged. For example, a positive read may indicate the presence and location of the connector, as well as verifying that the connector is fully mated to a complementary mating connector. For large and/or complex products, such as automobiles, verifying and recording that certain tasks are completed may be useful to reduce errors during the assembly process and to identify and rectify problems that arise later in the assembly process and after the product has been sold.
One issue with known electrical connectors that have machine-readable graphic identifiers is that reader devices may be unable to read the graphic identifier, causing a no-read result, due to the physical position and orientation of the reader device relative to the graphic identifier. Some reader devices can only decode or read a graphic identifier if the graphic identifier within a specific a range of focal distances, angles, and orientations relative to the reader device. But, due to limited tool clearance within the assembly environment, it may be difficult or impossible for an operator to position the reader device such that the reader device is able to read the graphic identifier. If the reader device is not able to read the graphic identifier, then the information provided by the graphic identifier is not able to be logged and recorded. In situations in which the graphic identifiers of numerous connectors are read to verify that the connectors are fully mated, the inability to read the graphic identifier on a fully mated connector may produce a false negative that is incorrectly interpreted as the connector not being fully mated.
A need remains for an electrical connector that has a graphic identifier that can be read by reader device along a greater range of angles than known connectors, in order to reduce the occurrence of no-read results in assembly environments with limited tool clearance.